Ponant Will Circle Antarctica Again in 2029
After a sold-out first attempt, Le Commandant Charcot repeats its 59-night Antarctic circumnavigation in January 2029. It anchors 12 itineraries and nearly 30 departures.
Ponant Explorations has opened its 2028–29 Antarctic season. It runs 12 itineraries and nearly 30 departures of 10 to 59 nights across Le Boréal, Le Lyrial, Le Soléal and Le Commandant Charcot, which the line calls the world’s only luxury icebreaker. Fares start at US$15,450 per person.
The headline voyage
The 2028 Antarctica Circumnavigation sold out, so Le Commandant Charcot will run it again. The 59-night voyage departs Ushuaia, Argentina, on 11 January 2029 and returns there. It is sold in two segments, split by a night in Hobart, Tasmania, on 9 February.
The ship traces about 23,000 km of coast through the Bellingshausen, Amundsen, Ross and Weddell seas. Stops include Charcot Island, Marie Byrd Land, the Balleny Islands and UNESCO-listed Macquarie Island, along with the Ross Ice Shelf, Mount Erebus and the waters off the Endurance wreck search area.
With experts aboard
- Weddell Sea, with The Explorers Club: 12 nights on Le Commandant Charcot from 6 November 2028, with an Explorers Club member and a science grantee working on board.
- Antarctica: The White Continent, with Smithsonian Journeys: 10 nights on Le Lyrial from 28 January 2029, with two Smithsonian experts.
The rest of the season
- Emblematic Antarctica (10 nights, 13 departures, November 2028–February 2029) is the entry point. Every departure includes a hotel night in Buenos Aires and flights to Ushuaia. There are Christmas (19 December) and New Year’s (29 December) sailings.
- Longer routes include the Great Austral Loop (17 nights), the Weddell Sea and Larsen Ice Shelf (12 nights, 16 December), Beyond the Antarctic Circle (14 nights, 28 December), and a 21-night Ross Sea voyage on Le Soléal.
- From New Zealand: three departures from Timaru reach the Subantarctic Islands and the Ross Sea, a useful option for Pacific clients.
“Our experienced expedition teams are an integral part of that experience,” said Samuel Chamberlain, CEO of Ponant Explorations Americas.
For advisors
- The circumnavigation sells out. Last time proved it. Hold space now for clients who want it.
- Price the entry point first: Emblematic Antarctica’s included flights and hotel make the comparison simpler.
- Pacific clients: the Timaru departures avoid the Drake Passage.